Late Ming Dynasty: The Counterattack Begins with Sea Pirates

After several transfers, the group of about a thousand people arrived safely on Hong Kong Island.

Chi Honghai gathered the people on the ship and the original inhabitants of the island on the beach.

He stood on the deck, looking down at the group of people.

"Gentlemen, I'm sure you all understand what it means to follow me."

"My rules are simple: if you don't work, you don't eat. I'm in charge of everything here. Of course, you won't go hungry here anymore. I'll guarantee you everything, provided you listen to me."

"As I said before, if anyone does anything dishonest, don't blame me, Chi, for showing no mercy."

With a combination of carrot and stick, no one stood up to object.

Because once they set foot on this island, there was no turning back.

Either don't come.

Well, we're already here.

Chi Honghai then orderly separated the people below, and the able-bodied young men inside were all gathered together.

After counting the number of people, there were nearly seven hundred men who could do the work.

He divided the seven hundred people into three groups.

A portion of the fishermen were selected to go out to sea to fish every day at set times; this group of 50 people was temporarily assigned by Chi Honghai.

The other two parts will be used for infrastructure development and regular training, respectively.

After all, with so many people coming to the island, given the current conditions, even if we tried to cram them in, we might not be able to fit them all.

At the same time, based on the situation on the island, a new construction direction should be planned, not only to meet the current living conditions, but also to gradually build a complete defensive fortification.

Otherwise, if the Guangzhou government troops came, these few dilapidated houses wouldn't be able to withstand the swords and arrows.

However, infrastructure construction is the most labor-intensive, so Chi Honghai assigned almost all the remaining people to this place.

Only the most elite 100 men were retained, and they were given formal military training.

Otherwise, even with guns and cannons, if you can't aim accurately, it'll just be like fireworks—all you hear is a bang.

Before the battle had even begun, disaster struck and everyone scattered.

Looking at the surrounding terrain, Chi Honghai decided to move the entire residence closer to the shore, distributing the houses in clusters around the shore.

Finally, a small camp was planned on the side closest to the shore for military purposes.

The area north of the shore was first established as an outpost, with the north and south working in tandem. As long as the waterway was not cut off, supplies and reinforcements from the south could be continuously obtained.

As for the remaining women, children, and the elderly, they were also mobilized.

After all, in a life-or-death situation, there's no time to be so concerned about such things.

They were all assigned to the back mountain to reclaim the wasteland into farmland.

Some people are responsible for reprocessing existing materials.

For example, smoking the fish that has been caught can extend its shelf life.

Of course, there's also the task of preparing meals for these thousands of mouths throughout the day.

Everything is proceeding smoothly.

A few days later.

Chi Honghai then realized that something was wrong.

In terms of training, Liu Qingjiang was, after all, a pirate, and his skills in sea robbery were beyond question, so there was no problem in having him train this group of people.

However, the pirates' methods mostly involved throwing hooks and catching bows, and their knowledge of firearms was insufficient, making them difficult to use effectively.

In addition, Liu Qingjiang still retains his pirate habits, and there are still instances of physical abuse during training. Over time, such a team is prone to problems.

Chi Honghai also negotiated with Liu Qingjiang, and although he restrained himself, there were still times when he couldn't hold back.

In terms of construction, manpower is ultimately insufficient.

Although everyone worked diligently every day, the planned project was indeed quite extensive, and it was impossible to complete it in a short period of time with only a few hundred people.

The weather has been fine these past few days after the typhoon, but if we encounter strong winds and heavy rain again, we're in for a lot of trouble.

After all, June is the rainy season in the south.

We couldn't have an easy time with the food either.

Although we had bought a considerable amount of food, and with the fish that God had provided, we wouldn't go hungry for a while.

Even with two rice harvests a year, at the current rate of consumption, if we don't conserve resources and also consider the need to recruit a considerable number of people later on, it certainly won't be enough.

Self-sufficient? Let's not even talk about that.

Sitting at his desk in his room, Chi Honghai was overwhelmed with these three issues.

But then there was a knock on the door.

"Didn't I tell you not to bother me this morning?"

"It's me..." came a woman's voice, soft and gentle.

Upon hearing this, Chi Honghai was immediately astonished; it was as if the sun had risen in the west.

He got up and opened the door.

"Have you made up your mind? Are you ready to go back?"

"That's not why I came."

Chi Honghai turned to the side and led Wu Wanruo into the room to sit down.

"Go ahead and say it, I'm busy."

"I've noticed there are more people on this island lately; they must have been kidnapped by Master Chi."

Chi Honghai smiled and said, "If I had such abilities, what would I be doing here? With the typhoon raging and the government's oppressive power, I couldn't survive, so I came here with me."

"Doesn't the government provide porridge and relief?"

"Your father doesn't even care about his own daughter, do you think the county magistrate will care about these people?"

"you...!"

Wu Wanruo was speechless and unable to defend herself.

After all, he had personally witnessed this man working alongside these farmers over the past two days, and if he hadn't known, he wouldn't have been able to identify him.

Of course, it's also impossible to tell that the person in front of you is now a pirate leader.

Chi Honghai stood up and gently patted her shoulder.

"What, you finally seem to understand, only to interrogate me?"

"No, I came to see you because I want to ask you for a favor."

"Speak, for the first time ever."

"From now on, could you please spare my father's life?"

Chi Honghai was very surprised.

"Young Miss, your own life is in danger, yet you're worried about your father. Besides, your father has harmed you so badly, and you're still pleading for him."

"Didn't you do this to me?"

"Then I'll send it back to you? To serve a fifty-something-year-old man in bed, are you satisfied now?"

Wu Wanruo fell silent and did not continue speaking.

Chi Honghai poured himself a cup of tea, drank it all in one gulp, and then slammed the teacup heavily onto the table.

"Noboru"

"Wu Wanruo, even if you give in to me, I won't let your father off the hook. If it weren't for your father, would I be in this state now?"

Tears welled up in Wu Wanruo's eyes.

She stood up and turned around to face Chi Honghai.

The soft sobs made him feel a little impatient.

Then, Wu Wanruo's fingers trembled as she moved to the right cufflink and slowly pulled the knot into a straight line.

As the rope was pulled taut, the right collar slid open slightly, revealing a corner of the close-fitting clothing.

Chi Honghai turned around, his voice trembling with emotion.

Seeing Wu Wanruo's movement, he quickly went up and grabbed her hand as she was about to continue unbuttoning the clasp.

"What do you want to do?"

"If... my body... could... be exchanged for my father's life..."

Chi Honghai pressed down on her hand and pulled back the collar that was about to straighten.

"I'm not going for that strong look, put it on!"

"I did it voluntarily..."

"What part of your story was voluntary?"